The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of the ornamental flowering shrub Gardenia augusta, known as common gardenia and hereafter referred to by the varietal denomination ‘MADGA I’. It can be used in containers, for small hedges, and for grouping or accent plants in the border.
The new gardenia was selected from seedlings grown from seed collected in 1999 from ‘Shooting Star’ (unpatented). ‘Shooting Star’, a selection made by the inventor at Athens, Ga. from seed of Gardenia augusta provided in 1983 from the coldest parts of China, is an upright form with large, six-petaled white fragrant flowers suffering little winter damage. ‘Shooting Star’ did not suffer winter discoloration or dieback in 18 years in Athens, Ga., and in laboratory cold hardiness tests the stems survived −11° F. Typical Gardenia augusta is rated USDA Zone 8 (10° to 20° F.).
Five superior seedlings from ‘Shooting Star’ were selected at Dearing, Ga. in 2000 with different habit, foliage and floral traits. After further evaluation for six years, one selection, ‘SS-05-03’ has proved remarkably cold tolerant and floriferous, with attractive orange red fruits, small, lustrous black green leaves and a unique upright columnar dense growth habit, and has been named ‘MADGA I’.
Asexual reproduction by traditional vegetative cuttings since 2000 in Athens, Ga. has shown that the unique characteristics of this new gardenia are stable and reproduced true-to-type in successive generations.